Gate-adjusting mechanism for road-building machines.



W. I. COULTAS'.

GATE ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR ROAD BUILDING MACHINES.

- APPLICATION FILED IAN-16.19I8. 131 141., Patented 0ct.8,1918..

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. J. COULTAS.

GATE ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR ROAD BUILDING MACHINES.

APPLICAIION FILED JAN.16, I918.

1,281,111. Patented 001. 8, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

a N Q N L I s 1 N N R 1 TTNTTE %TATE@ FFTE WILB'UB J. COULTAS, 0FCRESTLINE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BURCH PLOW WORKS (30., OF CRESTLINE,OHIO.

GATE-ADJUSTING MECHANISM FOR ROAD-BUILDING MACHINES.

Application filed January 16, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILBUR J. COULTAS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Crestline, in the county of Crawford and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Adjusting Mechanismfor Road-Building Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in road building machines andmore particularly to that type of such machines illustrated in a patentto R. M. Myers, No. 1,238,107, dated July 10, 1917, wherein thesurfacing material such as crushed stone or the like is discharged froma truck into the machine and uniformly spread over the road thereby asthe machine is drawn along by the truck, and wherein the depth of thesurfacing material distributed is regulated by an adjustable gate uponthe machine.

The invention has as its primary object to provide a constructionwhereby the gate may be easily and quickly adjusted and locked atadjustment.

The invention has as a further object to provide an arrangement whereinthe gate may be adjusted to inclined position with respect to themachine for thus causing the surfacing material to be distributed within creased depth toward one side of the machine, thisresult being ofadvantage in banking a curve in a roadway.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide aconstruction wherein the depth at which the surfacing material is to bedistributed may be easily determined.

Other and incidental objects will appear as the description proceeds,and in the drawings wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodimentof the invention, and wherein similar reference characters designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views:

Fi ure 1 is a perspective view showing a road uilding machine of thetype referred to equipped with the improved ad ustable ate g Fig. 2 isan end elevation more particularly illustrating the coacting rack barsem.- ployed between the gate and the body of the machine, and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 andmore particularly illustrating the arrangement of the Specification ofLetters Patent.

Tatented Get. 8, 191%.

Serial No. 212,033.

cam levers employed for holding the gate at adjustment.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, 1 have illustrated thepresent improvements in connection with the road building machinepreviously alluded to. Since the said machine is in the patentpreviously identified herein, accurately de scribed in all of itsdetails, extended description of the machine in the present instance isunnecessary. However, for the purposes of the present invention it maybe stated that the machine includes a hopper shaped casing having frontand rear walls 10 and 11 respectively and end walls 12. Reinforcing'thejoints between the rear wall and the end walls are angle plates 13. Therear wall is cut away medially of the casing to provide an openingcommunicating with the opening at the bottom of the casing and extendinglongitudinally of the casing at the opening in the rear wall thereof isa gate Iii: reinforced at its ends by angle plates 15. Secured to theends of the casing at the bottom thereof are shoes 16 and at the forwardends of these shoes are arranged angle plates 17 to which are connectedchain s'1'8 adapted for attachment to the rear axle of a truck, as shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, whereby the device may bedrawn along at the rear of the truck to receive the surfacing materialdischarged therefrom. Mounted upon the front wall 10 'of the casing aresupporting wheels 19 for the machine. In order to vary the depth atwhich the surfacing material discharged into the machine from the truckis to be distributed upon the road as the machine is drawn along by thetruck, the gate is adjusted vertically with respect to the rear wall ofthe casing and, as the machine has been previously constructed, thisgate is adjustably secured to the'said rear wall by suitablebolts.However, such construction has been found unsatisfactory owing to thedifficulty experienced in adjusting the gate and the presentimprovements are therefore directed to the provision of an arrangementwhereby the gate may be easily and quickly adjusted and then looked inadjusted position.

In carrying out the present invention, I employ vertically disposed rackbars 20 which are secured to the outer face of the rear wall 11 of thecasing of the machine, at

the extremities of the said wall. The teeth of these rack bars arerelatively line and close together. Mounted upon the gate to coact withthe rack bars 20 are similar vertically disposed rack bars 21. The rackbars 21 are secured to the inner face of the gate at the ends thereofand the teeth of these rack bars are relatively fine and close togetherto engage between the teeth of the rack bars 20. Secured to the gate atits extremities are substantially V-shaped supporting brackets The freeends of the arms of these brackets are connected by rivets or othersuitable fastening devices to the angle plates 14 of the gate to supportthe said brackets extending forwardly with respect to the machine at theends thereof and secured to the inner sides of the brackets at theangles of the bracket arms are horizontal bars 23, which are alsosimilarly connected to the said angle plates. These bars provide bracesfor the brackets and pivoted upon the said bars are cam levers 24. Thecam levers are supported by pivot pins 25 extending through the saidbars and at their inner extremities are formed with cams 26 confrontingthe rearwardly facing flanges of the angle bars 13 and adapted to coacttherewith.

As will now be seen, the cam levers 2st may be lifted when the gate 14of the machine will be released for adjustment. Consequently, the gatemay be easily positioned vertically of the rear wall 11 of the casingfor varying the depth at which the surfacing material shall bedistributed upon the road by the machine. Upon so adjusting the gate thecam levers may then again be swung downwardly to ride the cams 26 intobinding engagement with the angle plates 13 and clamp the rack bars 21of the gate in engagement with the rack bars 20 of the machine. .Thus,the gate may be readily and effectually locked at adjustment. In someinstances, such as banking a curve in a roadway, it may be founddesirable to incline the gate longitudinally with respect to the machineso that the surfacing material may be distributed with increasedthickness toward one side of the machine. To accomplish this result, itis simply necessary to release both of the cam levers 24 when ean er Ibe distributed may be accurately predetermined, the rear wall 11 of thecasing is, as particularly shown in Fig. 1., provided adjacent eachextremity thereof with a depth scale 27. These scales may be readilyconsulted when adjusting the gate so that the gate may be accuratelypositioned as desired. Handles 28 are connected to the extremities ofthe gate to facilitate the raising and lowering thereof.

It will, therefore, be seen that I provide a particularly simple andeflicient construction for the purpose set forth and arrangement tendingto materially increase the practical utility of the road buildingmachine.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is:

1. In a road building machine, a casing provided with a dischargeopening; a gate adjustable with respect to the said opening, bracketsprojecting from the extremities of the gate, bars supported by saidbrackets, and cams pivoted upon the said bars and adapted to act againstthe casing for locking the gate at adjustment.

In a road building machine, a casing provided with a discharge opening,a gate the free ends of the arms thereof to the ends of the gate, barsextending from the ends of the gate and connected to the apexes of saidbrackets, and cam levers mounted upon the said bars and adapted to actagainst the casing for locking the gate at adjustment.

3. In a road building machine, a casing provided with a dischargeopening, a gate adjustable relative to said opening and free withrespect to the casing, brackets projecting from the extremities of thegate at opposite ends of the casing and adapted for engagement therewithfor holding the gate against longitudinal movement with respect to thecasing, and cams pivoted upon the said brackets and adapted to actagainst the casing for locking the gate at adjustment.

In testimony whereof I atliX my signature.

WILBUR J. COULTAS. [.L. s.]

